Dispensing device with means to return material to supply



March 27, 1962 D. M. ALUOTTO 3,

DISPENSING DEVICE WITH MEANS TO RETURN MATERIAL TO SUPPLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1959 INVENTOR. Dominick M. Aluo'r'ro Buuaw @Ja".

ATTORNEYS lll l March 27, 1962 D. M. ALUOTTO 3,027,053

DISPENSING DEVICE WITH MEANS TO RETURN MATERIAL T0 SUPPLY Filed March 12, 1959 2 h ets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Y Dominick M. Aluorro FM, 7491/10 Emmy: (7374M ATTORNEYS United States atent 3,027,053 DFSPENSING DEVICE WITH MEANS TO RETURN MATERIAL TO SUPPLY Dominick M. Aluotto, 684 Maple St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Mar. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 798,920 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-309) This invention relates to devices for measuring liquids, and has for its object the provision of an improved device of this character. More particularly, the invention provides a device for both measuring and agitating liquids, and is especially advantageous for use in dispensing measured amounts of liquids, such as paint, that have a tendency to settle or separate.

The device of my invention comprises a dispenser body or housing having therein a sector chamber in which a piston or plunger is oscillatable by means of a crank located on the outside. The chamber has a duct for the entering liquid connected to a container for the liquid and another duct for dispensing the liquid which is provided with a pressure relief check valve. The chamber, ducts and piston are so constructed and arranged that on turning the plunger in one direction the liquid which has flowed into the chamber is forced back into the container and then, during the opposite turning of the plunger, a measured quantity of the liquid is forced through the check valve into a receiving vessel, such as a paint can. The device includes means for adjusting the volume of discharged liquid, advantageously, a ratchet and stop means which can be set to limit the movement of the handle and the piston to discharge measured quantities of liquid.

These and other novel features of the invention will be better understood after considering the following discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a dispensing device of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 1 taken at right angles; and

FIG. 3 is an isometric exploded view of the device of FIG. 1.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings comprises a container 1 for liquids, such as paint, attached by the pipe 2 to the cylindrical housing 3 forming an entering duct for the liquid. The housing has an arcuate sectorial chamber 4 with an orifice 5 therein which connects directly to the pipe 2, and the chamber is connected at the bottom to a spring-loaded ball check valve 6 attached to the housing. The inner perimeter of the chamber is generally cylindrical with the exception of the recess 7 r the function of which will be described later. The flat face of the housing has a disk 8 attached thereto by bolts 9. The central hub 10 of the disk has a shaft 11 mounted therein, the inner end of which has an integral plunger 12 which can be oscillated in the chamber 4. This plunger is preferably shaped as a sector, having radial and arcuate surfaces. The ratchet wheel 13 is rotatably mounted over the projecting bearing 14 of the disk 8 and is held in place by the ratchet retaining member 15 which is threaded into the hub 10 of the disk 8. The hole 16 in the ratchet retaining member serves as a bearing for the shaft 11. An operating handle 17 is secured to the end of shaft 11 by the screw 18.

The face of the ratchet has numbered indices to indicate the amount of dispensed liquid and these can be set at the desired position by means of a ratchet stop 20 which engages the teeth of the ratchet. The ratchet stop is pivotally secured by the screw 21 to a bracket 22 which. is mounted on the disk 8. The movement of the handle 17 and plunger 12 are limited by the handle stop 23 on the ratchet.

The device of the invention is operated as follows, assuming the container 1 to be filled with a liquid such as paint which-will settle on standing. The ratchet 13 is set by engaging the stop 20 at the desired index numeral. This setting of the ratchet also sets the stop 23 to limit the movement of the handle 17. Initially the handle is moved a few strokes to fill or prime the chamber 4. The liquid flows from the container 1 into the chamber 4 filling it completely. Then the handle is rotated clockwise until it stops due to plunger 12 striking the inwardly projecting sector 24 of the housing 3. During this movement the liquid in the chamber is forced back through pipe 2 into container 1. However, when the plunger passes over orifice 5, the liquid again flows back into the chamber filling it. As the plunger passes beyond the orifice 5 in its clockwise motion the liquid which is trapped before it in the chamber is forced back up over the top of the plunger 12 because there is a slight step or recess 7 in the inner wall of the housing 3 which gives enough clearance between the plunger and the inside perimeter of the housing to allow liquid to by-pass the plunger over the top. When the crank 17 is initially turned counterclockwise some of the liquid in the chamber is forced back through orifice 5 and pipe 2 and into the container 1 until the plunger 12 passes beyond the orifice 5. The remaining liquid in the chamber 4 is then under compression and further counterclockwise movement of the handle forces the liquid through the check valve 6 into the receptacle. The handle is moved until it strikes the stop 23 thereby limiting the amount of liquid dispensed. it is understood of course that any suitable receiving -vessel is placed under the check valve 6 to receive the measured quantity of liquid.

The chamber is automatically refilled with liquid flowing through the orifice 5 of pipe 2. When the crank 17 is again turned in the clockwise direction the liquid is forced back up into the container 1 causing it to be agitated. This is a very important act-ion in connection with liquid such as paint that contains pigments that settle and change the uniform composition.

I claim:

1. A liquid dispensing device which comprises a housing having an arcuate sectorial chamber therein, a storage container for liquid attached to the chamber, a duct for passing liquid from the container through an orifice into the chamber, an oscillatable plunger mounted in the chamber, a check-valve-controlled outlet for the chamber for dispensing the liquid, means for turning the plunger in one direction to force liquid contained in the chamber back into the container to agitate the liquid therein, said chamber being thereafter filled with liquid which has flowed automatically therein from the container, and the sm'd means being also used for turning the plunger in the opposite direction to force a measured quantity of the liquid through the check valve, and means for adjusting the extent of movement of the plunger to measure the amount of dispensed liquid.

2. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 1 in which the chamber has an arcuate perimeter through which the orifice opens, the chamber extending on two sides of the orifice, and a clearance space in the perimeter of the chamber to permit liquid to flow therethrough after the plunger has passed over the orifice.

3. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 1 in which the plunger has an arcuate surface which makes a close tight engagement with the perimeter of the chamber.

4. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 1 which comprises a shaft for the plunger, a disk closing one side of the chamber secured to the housing, said shaft extending through the disk, a crank on the shaft, a ratchet wheel on the disk, and a stop means for setting the ratchet to limit the dispensing stroke of the crank 1,947,088 Johnson et a1. Feb. 13, 1934 and. plunger. 2,400,328 Zehring May 14, 1946 2,443,146 Pyles June 8, 1948 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,834,5' 15 Lanyon May 13, 1958 1,591,313 Holland July 6, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,915,443 Pelouch June 27, 1933 778,814 Great Britain July 10, 1957 

